“You. Did you come here looking for a place to die?”

“…..”

Even normally, Kaian always wore a cold, angry-looking expression.

But facing his truly angry gaze now made me feel a chill run down my spine.

‘I might not be able to hide it completely.’

I had been mentally preparing myself.

Though I had managed to hide my coughing and blood-spitting so far, I couldn’t count on luck forever.

Moreover, unlike the doctor at Castle Valmond who had lied for me and Hannah, if a doctor at Castle Rowen properly examined me before I died, it would be difficult to keep my illness a secret.

“Since when? Given your condition, the disease must have started before the marriage.”

Kaian could not hide his anger.

‘Why is he angry?’

Thinking there was no reason for him to be so upset, Claude asked in return:

“Isn’t this a good thing?”

“What?”

“Because I’m a Vermonte. It would be better if I disappeared early, wouldn’t it?”

Kaian frowned as if he had heard something unbelievable.

“It’s not a marriage you wanted anyway.”

Claude avoided his eyes.

She had peeled away the layers, like an onion skin, feeling that Kaian did not want her.

Like at the wedding ceremony, when he had merely scrawled his name on the marriage certificate and family register without a word of greeting before leaving.

The only words Claude heard from Kaian that day were a short “Yes” in response to whether he would take Claude Quinn Vermonte as his wife, and “Prepare the horses! We must leave at once!” called over his shoulder as he turned and walked away without even exiting together.

On their wedding night, he didn’t even know the name of the woman he had married.

‘Don’t make me ask twice. I asked what your name is.’

‘Claude Quinn… Vermonte.’

She had constantly told herself that all nobles marry like this, that it couldn’t be helped that they couldn’t even see each other’s faces properly before marriage given the royal decree and the great distance between the northern and southern parts of the royal palace.

But in that moment when he asked her name, something flimsy that had been barely holding up inside her crumbled.

‘That damn Vermonte.’

When she heard Kaian mutter those words, Claude clearly realized her place.

Just a fallen rock suddenly dropped into the enemy’s house.

The enemy’s daughter, an eyesore that needed to be removed to feel at ease.

Even if the misunderstanding about not receiving a wedding night gift was due to Antione’s actions, he had turned a blind eye to her being disregarded even by maids and servants at Castle Rowen.

Until Claude saved him from the crocodile attack.

“Do you think it’s okay to deceive just because it’s an unwanted marriage?”

“…That’s.”

“How laughable. So now it’s gone from an unwanted marriage to a marriage based on deception?”

Kaian said mockingly.

“To dare send a flawed bride to deceive the lord of Rowen? That old Vermonte must have gone senile.”

Claude’s eyes widened at his words.

“I’ll raze the Valmond territory so that not a single living thing remains…”

“No!”

Claude said urgently.

“I, I did it on my own. Duke Vermonte… Father knows nothing about it.”

She lied on impulse.

This man did not make idle threats when mentioning the Valmond territory.

Without realizing it, she found herself trying to protect it somehow.

In the name of Vermonte.

“He doesn’t know?”

Kaian sneered.

“Does my being deceived become undone just because he didn’t know?”

“Ah…”

Claude clutched the blanket with trembling hands.

It was painful.

The tragedy that would befall the Valmond territory, the target of his anger, felt more vivid than ever in this moment as she faced the angry man, as if she could see it with her own eyes.

She had thought she only needed to endure her own death.

She never imagined they could all be implicated and become the target of Kaian’s wrath like this.

She had believed that Duke Vermonte’s plan to backstab Temnes would happen after her death, so it wasn’t her burden to bear.

Kaian declared:

“You will not die in peace.”

His words, like a blade made of sharpened ice, pierced through her.

“I will not allow it.”

Leaving her trembling in shock, Kaian disappeared from the bedroom, unable to hide his resentful expression as if he couldn’t stand to look at her any longer.

[This is the timeline separator]

Late at night, heavy footsteps echoed roughly through the castle corridor.

“Damn it.”

Kaian felt heat rising to his head as if his hair would stand on end.

He had never been this angry in his life.

“My lord.”

The butler hurriedly followed behind.

“Bring me some alcohol.”

“Alcohol?”

Kaian usually didn’t drink unless there was something to celebrate.

It was natural for the butler to be surprised at his sudden request for alcohol.

“Bring something strong. Now.”

As soon as he opened the door to the bedroom, Kaian regretted it.

He cursed under his breath.

Because of the special structure with the opening ceiling, seeing the bed standing desolately in the empty room immediately reminded him of Claude disheveled on top of it.

“Study. I’ll go to the study.”

Shortly after, he downed the strong liquor and clutched his head with both hands.

Even after drinking several glasses of alcohol strong enough to make his whole body feel the effects after just one glass, his mind was still too clear.

His sharp, lucid mind urged him that the impulse to wring the neck of that cunning old fox Duke Vermonte was realistically possible.

He felt like he was going crazy.

He was so furious he felt like he would lose his mind, but he didn’t understand why he was so angry.

Claude’s words were correct.

‘It’s not a marriage you wanted anyway.’

He had never wished for this marriage.

But he hadn’t completely denied or ignored the marriage either.

How much had he agonized all this time, wondering if all noble couples in political marriages lived like this, finding it difficult to even talk to each other.

He had even swallowed his pride and asked the butler about it.

After Claude was injured in his place, he had tried to treat her more generously.

‘Because I’m a Vermonte. It would be better if I disappeared early, wouldn’t it?’

Her quiet voice, devoid of emotion, felt like it had exposed Kaian’s weak spot.

The life of a noblewoman neglected by her husband was not long.

She would either wither away from the constant harassment in the castle, or end her own life unable to endure it any longer.

If she still persevered, she would be sent away to a distant place like a convent.

Kaian knew this but did not discipline the servants of Castle Rowen.

Even without Temnes blood mixed in, everyone in the Rowen territory cursed the Vermontes.

It was natural for Claude to not win their favor here.

He thought there was no need for him to intervene in something that didn’t go against reason.

“That doesn’t mean I wanted her to die.”

As he muttered this, Kaian felt something off about his words.

So, if he allowed the harassment in the castle to continue, he wasn’t unaware that it would eventually lead to her early death.

He knew his claim of trying to treat her as a wife in his own way was no excuse.

Claude’s emotionless voice quietly accused him.

What’s the difference, it seemed to say.

Isn’t dying like this the same as dying any other way?

Only then did Kaian realize why Claude had saved him.

While he was idly wondering why it was so difficult to talk to his wife, she had been standing at death’s door.

Used to being revered, he was upset by the fact that Claude had saved him ‘just because’, that she would have saved anyone in the territory.

He disliked the fact that she hadn’t saved him because it was him specifically, because he was special.

But when he realized that she would have thought dying now or later was the same kind of death, he became angry.

He felt angry, then sad, then like he would go crazy and punched the wall, then afraid that if Claude made even a small groan or coughed lightly, the Grim Reaper would come and scrape away the woman who was barely more than skin and bones with the tip of his scythe.

“This is driving me crazy. I should have waged a territory war even if it meant treason.”

He had especially planned to personally execute all of Vermonte’s family members with his own sword.

It had symbolic meaning of ending the long feud between enemies.

If things had gone according to his wishes.

He would have personally cut Claude’s throat and only felt the joy of victory that finally only Temnes remained on this land after a long, long battle.

But now, just the fact that he had condoned and allowed violence that could lead to death stirred up all kinds of emotions.

[This is the timeline separator]

Rumors about Claude spread quickly throughout Castle Rowen.

“She coughed up a blood clot the size of a fist. I saw it myself.”

“Oh my. How dreadful.”

With Kaian carrying her back unconscious after she coughed up blood, and several doctors from inside and outside the castle being summoned, what people saw and heard quickly became common knowledge.

“I wonder if it’s contagious?”

“I heard Herzol only affects people from Valmond. And only those living on the frozen land around Castle Valmond.”

“That’s what you get for having such a wicked heart – cursed by the Ice Witch.”

Curiosity and rumors about the Herzol disease she had contracted were the main topics.

“In any case, it’s fortunate that the person dying is a Vermonte.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with that opinion. Those who sensed Kaian’s change in attitude after the crocodile hunting incident took slightly better care of Claude and Hannah. But the rest remained the same as before.

“How could a limping lady properly host even one ball? We need a new lady of the house to make this place feel like people actually live here.”

Among them, the bedroom where Claude lay was like an isolated island.

Originally, there were few people on the floor where she stayed.

At first, they had tormented her for a while, but when Claude acted unbothered, they all stopped as it became boring and tiresome.

But when rumors spread that she had contracted a terrifying disease that only ended when an entire village died, everyone tried to avoid her completely.

Even if they said it doesn’t affect people in the south, why wouldn’t it be scary?

Finally, Hannah became furious when she discovered Claude’s meal tray had been left on the floor at the end of the stairs.

“Waaah. I didn’t know.”

Hannah wailed.

“If something happens to the young lady. Waaaah. The Duke even gave me money to bring her back to Valmond if anything went wrong, so I thought he had a conscience.”

Wiping her flowing tears with her sleeve, Hannah gritted her teeth with her red, swollen face.

“I’m going to kill the Duke.”

“Hannah.”

“No. I’ll kill young lady Irena. The Duke should lose what he cherishes and values most too.”

As soon as she said “what he cherishes and values most”, Hannah burst into tears again.

“This is what I wished for. I wanted to do something for the starving children.”

“Just shut up! Claude! Every single word you say now makes me angry!”

Hannah finally shattered the wall of social status with her anger.

“How could you do this to me?”

Claude closed her mouth.

Hannah had just said that anything she said made her angry.

She weakly raised her hand to pat Hannah’s back comfortingly.

At that moment, a cold voice cut between the two of them.

“Get out.”

With tears hanging from her eyes, Hannah looked at Kaian.

Showing her displeasure, she hesitated before finally leaving the room.

After chasing Hannah away like that, he just silently stared at Claude.

“I have a request.”

“A request?”

“You said you’d grant whatever I wanted.”

On the day she collapsed.

A mocking smile appeared on Kaian’s lips.

“Do you think you’re in any position to make such requests?”

“Even if I die, please don’t cut off the food supply to the Valmond territory.”